Asylum
by HelmutMorozov
Summary: It is a short story about a Mossad agent infiltrating a mental asylum tracking a Nazi occult criminal.


**Asylum**

3rd May 1968, 4: 00 am in the morning, Levi was dreaming in the bed. He was a top assassin of Mossad branch in the U.S, had just been back from a mission to assassinate a Palestine who planned a bomb attack at Tel Aviv last week. The phone rang for five times. Levi was too exhausted to answer the call. Strong breeze through the window. Levi felt cold air touching gently over his face. The phone rang again. 

"Hello, Tortoise speaking"

"Morning, little boy, do you have time to join me for breakfast?"

"So early?"

Levi tried hard to get off the bed, dragging his body towards the bathroom. He heard a vehicle approaching after brushing teeth. He said to himself, " Boss always pushes people!"

Yousef, 51, rabbi as cover, was the chief of US Mossad.

In the Jewish Synagogue, Yousef, code name Monkey, was reading the Torah as usual in his office, waiting for Levi. 

"Morning, Tortoise boy!"

"Boss, just back, very tired! Terrorist attack again?"

"No this time, Nazi criminal."

"Wow, my team does not work on Nazi!"

"This is a tough job, But let me give you an incentive?"

"Incentive?"

"I know you will marry soon. Would you like to buy a big house?"

"Of course, Janice wants to have a sea view." 

"Director understands that this is a tough job, an additional allowance will be given after mission." 

Levi thought that he was so lucky. Janice's dad did not like a poor son-in-law.

Yousef continued: "Intelligence found out a Nazi Criminal code name Butcher who was responsible for a secret experiment involving Jews in Poland in 1942, he is now living in a mental asylum in Texas." 

"Particulars, name? age? features?"

"I have said this will be a tough job."

"hm..."

"We only know the code name, maybe man or woman, you need to infiltrate the asylum to find out and extinguish him or her!" 

Levi considered it a great challenge because most of his previous missions were only ad hoc operations, hit and run were routines.

'Do you need time to consider?'

'No, with pleasure!'"

Over the next month, Levi attended lessons from a psychiatrist to learn about behavior and psychology of mental patients. This would help his undercover work and find out who the true Butcher was.

Concord Mental Asylum was a Georgian house in the countryside. Few people lived nearby. There were about 50 patients and half of them were elders. Levi was escorted by ambulance men to the asylum. After registration and basic medical check-up, he was admitted to a ward shared with another guy in thirties. Levi lied down on his bed and turned right. A face was close to his eyes. Levi was shocked and shouted. 

'Hello! How do you do! New to this home? Welcome! "'

"Nice to meet you, I am Matthew."

"You can call me Dwarf, Haha, This is a wonderful world. Let me tell you a secret!"

"Dwarf, What secret?"

Dwarf smiled mysteriously and then whispered near Levi's ear," We have a witch here! Very horrible!"

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly someone knocked the door. This was time for medicine. A lady nurse came in with a huge male who was supposed to force any patient to take drugs if necessary. The lady gave three pills and a cup of water to Dwarf who at once swallowed all down to the stomach. In Levi 's turn, he took the pills and asked, "May I take these after a while?". The lady shook her head with a smile. When Levi glanced the muscle man, he crossed arms with the right hand holding a leather belt. Levi took the water and swallowed the pills. After the nurses went out, Levi rushed to the toilet and used fingers to trigger his gag reflex. After about 15 seconds, he threw up and left semi-digested bills behind in a mess. Levi picked up the pills and kept for later urine tests. Coming out from the toilet, Levi saw Dwarf sleeping. He then laid down on the bed, considering this a tough mission. 

"Fire! Fire!"

Levi woke up and found the room full of smoke. He breathed difficultly. Dwarf had run away so he got out of the ward. It was very hot in the corridor. Flames everywhere and all doors on the whole floor opened. Every room was empty. Levi ran downstairs at the end of the corridor. On the ground floor, there was no fire. The lobby was empty and all lights off. Suddenly singing and murmurs came behind a wooden gate. Levi walked on tiptoe and listened with his ear against the gate. Louder and louder! He pushed the gate. It was unlocked. Another corridor appeared and there were torches with green flames hanging on both sides. Levi removed one torch as a weapon, moved forwards cautiously. At the end of the corridor was downstairs leading to a basement. Songs and murmurs louder than before coupled with the smell of sour meat. The stairs descended with several turns and finally led to a steel gate. When he opened the gate, the room was empty. There was a small box on the ground. Levi knelt down, picked up the box. There was a jade ring inside the box with Chinese characters carved. 

"Wake Up! Breakfast time!",Levi opened his eyes. It was a dream. He felt very strange since he had not encountered any Chinese related stuff recently.

All patients were required to have breakfast together. Levi searched for any possible target. The first hint was age. Butcher should be a Germanic person in fifties or sixties. After browsing around the tables, Levi identified three suspects. The first man wore a full black suit with tie. During leisure time in the afternoon, Levi approached that man. 

"Hello, I am Matthew, nice to meet you!"

"Gentleman, you could call me Mr. Kaiser", the old man spoke slowly with a German accent. 

" Mr. Kaiser, how long have you been here?"

"I have been here for two years. Little Boy!"

"You came from Germany?"

"No, Austria!"

"Same as Hitler!"  
Kaiser stared at Levi unfriendly.

"Have I said something wrong?"

"No, Little Boy!"

"What do you like to do in spare time?"

"I liked rifle hunting!"

Levi said to himself: "this Kaiser matched too much with Butcher!" At the following night, Levi sneaked into the file room with spy skills and checked patient records.

"Helmut Kaiser, born in 1930 in Austria, joined the Nazi party and SS, transferred to Poland after the invasion, war prisoner after liberation by Red Army, back to Vienna, emigrated to the USA in the 1960s, suffered illusion at home, injured wife and children, court imposed hospital order, Schizophrenia diagnosed... "

"Bingo! Easy job! Kaiser is Butcher!" Levi sent this name by ciphers to Yousef, hoping to leave this ghostly place soon. A few days later, Yousef visited Levi at the asylum and instructed him to keep surveillance on Kaiser pending further intelligence research and analysis in Tel Aviv. 

The weather had changed. This was a cold night. Levi had the same dream again and woke up. Dwarf was in deep sleep. Songs and murmurs came from downstairs. Levi got up quietly. The main lobby was dark and empty but there should be nurses and guards on duty. Songs and murmurs again from outside. Levi stood beside a window and looked out, found Kaiser walking towards the woods. He decided to leave the asylum and followed Kaiser at distance. After about five minutes, Kaiser stopped and turned around.

"Little boy, why did you follow me?

'What are you doing here?'

"I….I….", Kaiser's mouth opened wide, a bundle of white snakes flowing out of his mouth, flying towards Levi.

"Oh, My God…'

Levi waked up with cold sweats. It was a dream within a dream. So horrific! 

Yousef visited Levi again.

"Tortoise, you seem not good!"  
"Maybe the drugs. You know. Traces may remain in my stomach after throwing up".'

"Bad news."

"Huh…."  
"Kaiser is not the guy, please continue to search."

"OK!" , Levi was a little bit disappointed. 

The second target was a lady, Madam Rosenberg.

Patient record retrieved:

"Margret Rosenberg, born in the USA but went back to Germany with parents during World War Two, single, back to the USA last year, self-bodily harm, Compulsory Disorder diagnosed…." 

Afternoon there were fifteen patients in the leisure room. Rosenberg was watching TV with three others. Levi joined and sat beside her.

"Madam, I am Matthew, nice to meet you!"

"Little Boy, you seem new here?"

"Madam, yes, May I call you Margret?"

"Certainly!"

"You came from Germany?"

"How did you know? "

"Your appearance and assent."

"Good observation."

"Did you hate Jews?"

"Yes, those bastards! Are you Jewish?"

"No, My parents are Anglo Saxons."

"Good, we both are Aryans.", Rosenberg lowered her golden glasses.

At night, Levi sneaked to Rosenberg's room, intended to search her belongings for useful intelligence. The room was empty. Songs and murmurs came from upper floors. Levi then reached the roof of the building but the strange sound stopped. Rosenberg was there and wanted to jump to the ground.

"Hold on!" Levi rushed to rescue her but it was too late. Rosenberg jumped off the edge of the roof. In an instant, she lied on a bloody mess. However, no one seems to have heard the sound of body impact. When Levi returned the lower floor, Rosenberg appeared!

"Little Boy, why are you here?"

"I've just seen you jumping on the roof!" 

"Don't be silly". She then walked back to her room.

Next morning, when Levi was chatting with Dwarf, Rosenberg passed by. She smiled at Dwarf making him frightened. Dwarf said to Levi in a low tone. "She is a witch, don't annoy her otherwise you will be in big trouble!"

Yousef visited Levi the next week.

"Monkey, any intelligence on this Rosenberg?"

"The lady was a mistress of an SS officer during World War Two in Poland, She studied biology and physiology at Universities of Heidelberg and Tubingen. We believe that she might be involved in some secret experiments held in the concentration camp. Keep on the search for any evidence!" 

"Yes sir, I will try my best. How is Janice?"

"She is quite good. Don't worry, we will take care of her before you are discharged from this mission."

" Thank you."

Levi went to the library one day. Rosenberg was reading.

"Madam, what are your reading?"

Rosenberg handed the book to him.

The title was 'A Manual of Celtic Magick, 1886. "

Levi turned a few pages, this book was written in old English, it was full of spells and diagrams.

"Madam, you like magick and sorcery?"

"If I say I am a witch, you believe?", Rosenberg stood up and put the book back on the shelf before leaving the library. 

At night, Levi dreamed again but woke up by the same songs and murmurs. He got off the bed and went out to the corridor, walked downstairs to the ground floor. The songs and murmurs seemed to come from the library. The library was unlocked so Levi entered easily. The lights suddenly were turned on. Song and murmurs came behind a bookshelf. Levi walked to the shelf and heard the sound emerging from a book titled "A Manual of Celtic Magick." He took the book down the shelf and opened it. After turning a few pages, Levy was scared to see a photo of Rosenberg on one page. She was smiling. Lights on and off for a few times. Levi read the book again.

"Oh my God!", the image on the photo had changed to an Oriental lady in ancient costumes. Levi's face turned ashen and white. He naturally threw the book away and ran back to his room.

Yousef came to the asylum.

"Tortoise, you look like pale!"

Levi told the strange phenomenon seen to Monkey.

" I think these abnormal persons influenced your psyche! How about I apply vacation for you?"

"No, I want to complete my mission!"

"Any progress on Rosenberg"

"Nothing so far."

"I think you may try the third target."

The third target is a Swiss gentleman.

Patient record:

' Hans Zendel, born in 1923, emigrated to the US in 1960 to join his grandchildren after losing his wife in a traffic accident, easily frightened when seeing cars, post-traumatic symptom diagnosed…."

"Mr. Zendel, nice to meet you, I am Matthew", Levi sat beside the target during breakfast.

"Welcome, young guy," Zendel speaking with a strong German accent. 

"You from Germany?"

"No, from Switzerland, you?'

"I was born in England but moved to the US when I was a kid." 

"I see."

"Do you like playing snooker?"

"Certainly!'

"Let's have a game this afternoon?"  
" Sure."

During the game, they chatted a lot about life in Switzerland. Zendel was very relaxed and always laughed. Levi told himself, "He should not be the Butcher!" At night, Levi heard songs and murmurs again. He went out to the corridor. A shadow was going downstairs. Levi followed. The guy entered the library. Levi peeped through the door slit. Zendel, Rosenberg, and Kaiser were all present. They were singing songs but he did not understand the lyrics.

Due to the angle of observation, there was one more person but Lev could only see the hand. It should be a lady and her hand wore a jade ring. It was the same to that in Levi's first dream!

This was a rainy day.

"Monkey, the whole thing is very strange," Levi said with narrowed eyes.

"Young boy, this is expected!"

"What! You've hidden something ?", Levi's voice raised in pitch. 

" The Butcher was not a scientist, there was no experiment."

"What the hell is that?" 

"It was an occult ceremony!"

"Occult?"

"Yes, Nazi was obsessed with occultism, this Butcher used Jews for sacrifice!"

"Oh, my God! What should I do?"

"This sect only recruits insane. You must join them."

"Understood! But why didn't you tell me before?"

" It is better for you to find out otherwise you will think it is absurd and do not accept this assignment." Yousef had a strong eye contact with Levi and continued. 

"By the way, Janice wants to buy this house."Yousef handed him a real property catalog. Levi had a look, an elegant house but expensive.

Over the next few months, Levi became more close to these Germans. One day, Kaiser asked Levi, What is your mental problem?"

" I do not have a mental problem, don't understand why my brother sent me here!" 

Kaiser nodded, "They always say mental patients do not admit their problems!"' Rosenberg also gave a book on occultism to Levi as a gift. Zendel played snooker with him every day.

This night Levi woke up with songs and murmurs. He heard a voice, " Come! Please come, Please come!" Attracted and guided by this voice, Levi could not resist but got off the bed and walked slowly to reach the library. The door was semi opened. Levi entered. Besides the three Germans singing songs, there was another lady there, who wore a golden mask and black robe, murmuring verses. She waved her right hand with the jade ring to Levi. He followed along with her and the Germans.

After they turned the corner, Levi could not believe what he saw. A naked lady wearing a silver mask lied on the ground with a big white snake entwined her body. Its tail had slid into her juicy cunt. She moaned with repeated orgasms.

The black robe lady said to Levi, "Matthew, welcome, you are an Anglo Saxon with Aryan bloodline!"

"Who are you?"

" I am Butcher, the Supreme Priest of Oriental Division of SS Occult Division, I now want to complete what I have not finished in Poland twenty years ago."  
"What is that?"

"You don't need to ask if you are an Aryan and a chosen one!"

Levi decided to pretend to be insane for undercover. 

"Yes, Butcher your Highness, I will obey you!"

"Good Boy, this is the song sheet with lyrics. Just sing, sing and sing, I need your energy for initiation!"

Levi and other three Germans encircled the naked lady who held the big snake tightly. They sang aloud and aloud while Butcher was murmuring. Levi noticed that her jade ring started to brighten with cold green light.

Levi waked up in the morning. He was still in his bed. Was this real or only a dream? Still a question in his mind.

There was a Chinese lady sitting beside Levi at breakfast.

"Hello, I am Matthew, nice to meet you!"

"Hell, you can call me Jane."

"Jane, could you do me a favor?" 

"Certainly."

Levi wrote the two Chinese characters carved on the jade ring on a paper.

"Your Chinese words like those of kids." Jane smiled.

"What do these two characters mean?"

"Oh, this is the name of the Last Empress of Qing Dynasty of China, Cixi."

"Cixi?"

"Yes, most Chinese don't like Cixi because she has done a lot of harm to modern China."

"Thanks a lot."

Levi found a book of Chinese History in the library and read passages about Empress Cixi. Cixi was the last powerful Empress of China. She used boxing rebellions to kill foreigners, resulting in military bloodshed by Western Powers, Russia, and Japan. How was Cixi related to the occult? It remained a puzzle. This asylum was owned by a scholar before. A lot of old books were still in stock. Levi asked the nurse librarian whether there were books in Chinese occult and mythology. The nurse led him to a storeroom on the second floor. After venturing into dust and bugs, Levi found a book " A secret history of Chinese Creatures" written by a Catholic priest in 1900. Levi sat on the ground and turned page by page until seeing a picture of a White Snake.

"White Snake Devil

There was a drama in China about White Snake known as Su Ching. She absorbed the energy of the Sun and the Moon for a thousand years to become a beautiful lady. Su Ching married to a young man and gave birth to a hybrid son. However, she was locked into a tower by a Buddhist Monk Fat Hoi but was finally rescued by his son. This was a story only. According to secret knowledge of Chinese masters, there was indeed a White Snake Devil. She transformed into a beauty Daji (1020 BC) who became a consort of King Zhou of Shang Dynasty. King Zhou lost his empire partly due to his obsession with Daji. The white snake reincarnated to Wu Zetian (625-705) who suspended the Tang Dynasty and created her own Zhou Dynasty. Wu Zetian was the first and only female Emperor of China. Many innocent officials and civilians were killed during Wu's reign, The third reincarnation of White Snake Devil was Empress Cixi (1835-1908)….."

Levi dropped the book. He felt breathless with a racing heartbeat. The puzzle had been solved. The SS planned to make the White Snake Devil possessed on the jade ring to incarnate again for an evil purpose. This was unsuccessful in Poland during World War Two so she wanted to perform the ritual in this asylum again using the psychic powers of Germanic mental patients. She must be stopped!

"Monkey, the Butcher must be killed."

"Tortoise, certainly, but who is Butcher?" nodded Yousef.

"I am finding."

"She should be a lady but may not be German"

Levi thought of a person who might help.

"Dwarf, do you know other witches beside Rosenberg?' 

"Yes, a Romanian lady!"

"Are you sure?"

"yet, yet…."

Levi started to observe the patients. He spotted a lady in her sixties, slim but graceful.

" Madam, I am Matthew, you seem to have an East European accent."  
"Good ear, I came from Romania."

"I see, how long have you been here?" Levi was very cautious. If this lady was the Priest, she might discover his intention. Hence, he only chatted casually to avoid alert. Levi determined to keep her under surveillance. At night, Levi was attracted to join the occult ritual in the library again by the songs and murmurs. He could not resist singing. An unexplained wave of excitement was sweeping his mind when he sang louder and louder. The Priest seemed to have magic power over him. When the ritual ended he woke up on his bed and rushed to the library but nothing was found there. His emotion became more depressing day by day. That might be the reason why insane people were chosen for the initiation. The ritual was performed over a week. One morning, Levi met the Romanian lady in the corridor. She smiled at him. Levi just wanted to talk but noticed that her right hand wore a jade ring with the words "Cixi". Levi lost patience. He grabbed the lady's neck and pushed her against the wall!

"How did you get the ring?"

"The Director gave me a birthday present!"She stood rooted to the spot.

"You are lying! You are lying!"

"What ….are you …..saying about!" She could not breathe as Levi was still holding her neck tightly.

"You are a witch! You are a witch!"

After half a minute, the lady had become unconscious.

Levi checked her heartbeat and pulse. Dead! After calming down, he tugged the corpse to the toilet and did the " cleaner work", putting her head into the toilet bowl, making her death appearing as an accident of slippery and drowning. Afterwards, he rushed back to his ward to sleep.

A week later, ambulance men escorted Levi for discharge from Asylum.

4: 00 am, 3rd November 1968. Levi was dreaming on the bed. A phone rang several times. He was too exhausted to take up the phone. Strong wind breeze through the window. Levi felt cold air touching his face gently. The phone rang again. Levi opened his eyes and saw the naked breasts of Janice. They had a passionate sex last night.

"Hello, Tortoise speaking!"

"Would you join me for breakfast? Little Boy."

"So early! " Levi got up and walked like a zombie towards the washing room. After brushing teeth, he heard a vehicle approaching his house. " Boss is pushing again".

"How are you recently?"

"Monkey, I need a long vacation, the asylum was a hell to me!"

"Don't worry, the Director was very impressive of your job, special allowance has been deposited into your Swiss Bank account."

"Great!" Levi thought about the house catalog. 

The lovely couple moved into the new elegant house the following month. When Levi was unpacking the boxes, Janice held him tightly from behind and kissed his cheek. 

"Apart from the new house, We must celebrate another good news!" 

"What is that? Sweetheart!"

"I am pregnant!"

"Oh, Great, I'll be a dad soon! I'll be a dad soon.!" Levi was so excited to lift Janice up.

In the evening, Janice was cooking when Levi fixed a lamp in the bedroom. He wanted to use a screwdriver and tried to find one. After opening a large box of stuff, his eyes blinked rapidly. There was a mask similar to that worn by the naked lady in the asylum!

"Rabbi, Dr. Persinger of Concord Asylum has come". Yousef was reading in his office.

"Please tell her to come in."

"Rabbi, you are busy?"

" Doctor, Everything as planned?"

"Sure."

"Why you choose Janice?"

"Because she was born in the year of Snake according to Chinese astrology. Secondly, we must have Levi to participate in the ceremony so to release all her sexual energy. She thought that the big snake was her lover. Hahaha…."

"I see! please try my new tea!"

Dr. Persinger took the cup of tea. Her right-hand finger wore a jade ring with the words of "CiXi".


End file.
